Proof of Loyalty
by dukemarius
Summary: Pain doesn't trust Itachi completely and decided to test his loyalty by having him capture the Five-Tails, Han. How would Itachi fare in this mission that goes against his pacifistic ideology? Rated T. I do not own Naruto.
1. A New Target

It was a rainy night. Inside a cave in the Land of Flowers, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki stood by a fire. They were tasked by their leader to kill a powerful warlord of clan Kurare and to do it very flashy, to send a message to the members of this clan. This sort of mission was proved to be perfect for Kisame, as he deeply enjoyed loud and destructive combat. They accomplished their mission and waited inside that cave for an agent of Kurare's rival clan, Karuda, to pay them.

Kisame decided to break the silence.

"Itachi-san, have you seen how that guy charged at me with his oversized sword? He thought I don't know anything about oversized swords, huh?"

Itachi cared about Kisame, but the Kiri-nin's bloodlust was disturbing.

"Yes, I've seen what you can do. I must say it was pretty impressive!" Itachi thought that if he praised Kisame, the former Swordsman of the Mist's ego will be satisfied.

"You think so? I can't wait for the next mission. I hope it will be something bloody!"

The fact that Kisame took immense pleasure from killing disgusted Itachi, but he had to play along.

"Let's hope…"

Suddenly, a man dressed in a black cloak entered the cave. He had a mask and carried a briefcase.

"Are you the Akatsuki?"

Kisame smirked. "Yes, you must be Karuda clan's errand boy!"

"Yes, my name is Koto Karuda, a Chunin from…"

The man was cut short by Kisame's grunt. "I don't care what your name is or what your rank is. Do you have the money?"

"Yes, sir!"

The briefcase was thrown at Kisame's feet. Itachi stood there, watching the things unfold in silence.

"Let's see!" Kisame began to count the banknotes. After a while, he closed the briefcase. "It's perfect, it's all here. Pleasure doing business with you!"

"Ok, sir! Congratulations for the mission!" The Chunin said while leaving.

"Itachi-san, I think we should stay inside this cave until morning. This way the rain won't soak us!"

"That's a good idea!"

An hour later, a rainbow colored hologram popped in front of the two Akatsuki members. Kisame smiled. "Leader-sama, we have accomplished our mission. The warlord is dead and we have collected the reward. I must say I enjoyed the slaughter even though I am not Kakuzu to do such a thing for money. Tell us, what you will have us do?"

Pain's Rinnegan glowed in the dimmed light in the cave. "I am aware that your mission was a success and I congratulate you. However, the next mission is much more important, even though there is no monetary reward. And that mission is for you, Itachi!"

The Uchiha opened his eyes and activated his Sharingan. "Of course, Leader-sama!"

"You are well aware about our plan and you know we need Tailed Beasts for accomplishing it. As such, I have tracked down a Jinchuriki, a container of such power." Itachi looked shocked, while Kisame shuddered with bliss. "Oh, a Jinchuriki! Such power! It will be amazing to fight such a being. Leader-sama, please, let me fight him!"

"No! This mission is for Itachi only. You are free to accompany him but you must not get involved into the fight unless Itachi is severely wounded. But I don't think that would be the case!" Itachi knew what this was all about. Even though Kisame was the better man for fighting beasts, he received the orders as a test. _I think our leader doesn't trust me completely. He wants me to capture that Jinchuriki in order to prove my loyalty to the Akatsuki. _"I accept, Leader-sama. Please tell me more about my target!"

"Your target is Iwagakure's Han, the Five-Tails."

Kisame's eyes bulged. Pain noticed "It seems you are acquainted with this man, Kisame?"

The former Kirigakure operative answered quickly. "Han is the nephew of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. During the last Great War, Iwagakure gained an advantage because of this man. He slaughtered five hundred Kiri men, all ranked Chunin or higher! Itachi-san, this shinobi should not be taken lightly!"

Itachi was not bothered at all. "Don't worry, Kisame. I will avenge your fallen former comrades, if you care about it!"

"Oh, I can't wait to see you battle him!"

Pain coughed. "So, you are to depart to the Land of Earth. Three days from now, Han will be in a small village called Ishigake with three members of the Explosion Corps. They are to create a new mining tunnel in the mountain near that village. So, whether you attack the Five-Tails inside the village or inside the mine is entirely your choice!"

"Yes, Leader-sama!"

"Also, you will have a secondary objective. You are to capture and interrogate one of the Explosion Corps shinobi in order to find intel about the other Jinchuriki of the Stone, Roshi of the Lava Release. After the interrogation, you can kill or leave the shinobi alive, the choice is yours."

"I understand!"

"Good. Now depart for the Land of Earth!"

Pain's hologram disappeared. Kisame stood up, cleaning the dust from his cloak. "Looks like we have our orders, Itachi-san."

"Yes. Tomorrow, we will depart!"


	2. Remorse

The road between the Land of Flowers and the Land of Earth was long, two days at least, even though Itachi and Kisame paid a carriage to take them quicker. Kisame was bored and tried to initiate a discussion with Itachi. "So, Itachi-san, do you want to know more about Han of Iwagakure?"

Itachi knew he had to pretend to be interested, as to not arouse suspicion. "Tell me!"

"Well, during the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure and Kirigakure banded together against Konohagakure until the Mist shinobi decided to betray their Iwa allies. So, they killed almost all their important leaders, including the leader of the Explosion Corps at the time, Gari of the Explosion Release. That man was next in line to become Tsuchikage and he was very respected by his soldiers, so they decided to get revenge against us." Itachi was saddened. He was traumatized by the events of the Third War and that turned him into a pacifist. He remembered very well: he was only four when he saw many Leaf shinobi being butchered like cattle. Kisame continued. "So, after a battle of ours versus the Leaf, we were tired and then, we received a message from Iwagakure. They said that they will come with supplies, as they let bygones be bygones about our betrayal. They sent one guy, as not to raise suspicion. That man was Han. Five minutes took him to kill five hundred Chunin and Jonin from our village. We were crippled so we capitulated."

Itachi was not shocked. One who betrays an ally should expect to be betrayed as well. "Kirigakure's history is very bloody, covered with betrayals. You were right to leave them, Kisame. You deserve to be in a family like ours, who care about their comrades!" _I must say these things. I must sound like I am extremely convinced that the Akatsuki's ideology is correct._

Kisame smirked. "Yes, Itachi-san! Akatsuki gave me the… sincerity I needed as a shinobi."

Itachi knew that underneath his blunt exterior, Kisame was an honest shinobi, with an unbreakable Nindo, his own shinobi code.

At an inn, Itachi and Kisame ate and rested. The Uchiha was alone in his room and closed his eyes. He remembered the precious face of Sasuke, his beloved younger brother. He also remembered what Shisui told him the day he committed suicide that he must protect the village and the Uchiha name at all costs. _Shisui… I couldn't protect our clan, but at least I protected their reputation. The village is safe, even though I am viewed as a traitor. But that doesn't matter for me. I forsook all claims on honor the moment my sword tore through a clansman's flesh. Now, I must commit another murder, against a man I don't even know. Even though he is a Jinchuriki, how is he like? Does he have children? Does he have a wife that will mourn him after I capture him? Yes, he killed many shinobi during the war but who didn't? It was either his village or the others. It's not like he did have a choice. But I have a choice. I could renounce the mission, desert the Akatsuki and stop the bloodshed. But HE will destroy Konoha and kill Sasuke. No, I must do it! I am sorry… I must do it!"_

Itachi opened his eyes and activated his Sharingan who in turn changed into the Mangekyou Sharingan. Itachi's vision was blurry and he was in a lot of pain. _So it's worse now. At this rate, I think I have another two or three years left in me. Enough to do that…_

The Uchiha deactivated his dojutsu and exited his room. Outside the inn, a lovely little lake glittered in the sun. Itachi smiled, as he loved beautiful vistas. A small hare ran towards the lake and took a sip from the water. Itachi got sad. _I think that man is like this hare… Just a being that tries to live and to thrive in this shinobi world. And I must end his existence, like I did to my clansmen. I must capture him alive just for the Akatsuki to extract the beast from him and kill him. So I am the one who will erase his life."_ The Uchiha was full of remorse, but he knew that he must do it. He reentered the inn and went straight to Kisame's room. The blue-haired shinobi caressed his sentient sword, Samehada. "Kisame, are you ready to go?"

"Just a moment, Itachi-san! I have something for you!" Kisame opened a drawer and handed Itachi a book. "While you slept, I went to a nearby town where I met a contact who had information on the Five-Tails. You have everything here!"

"Thank you, Kisame! I appreciate! I will go to my room and study it. I will come for you when I am ready and we will leave!"

"Of course, Itachi-san!"

Itachi was torn. Now, his questions would have an answer. He will know what being he would have to bring down. He stood on the bed and opened the book at Han's bio: _Han of Iwagakure. Born on May 10, aged 37. 228 centimeters tall, weighting 114 kilograms. Married to Byatsuchi, aged 32 with one child, Ken, aged 10._ Itachi almost cried. So the man really had a wife and a child. He will take a husband and a father from his family. After tomorrow, Byatsuchi will become a widow and ten years old Ken will become an orphan, just as he did to Sasuke when he murdered their parents. Itachi continued to read: _Became Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails at age 6 at the request of his uncle, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. Can combine the Fire and Water natures to use Boil Release. Recommend extreme caution. Also, he is immune to Genjutsu, due to being a Jinchuriki that can control his beast to a degree. _Itachi thought: _So, he is immune to Genjutsu. I guess Tsukuyomi is off the table. It's good, actually. I won't have to torture his mind more than I will torture his body…"_ Itachi closed the book and went to his partner's room. "I am ready!"

"Fine. Shall we go then?"

The two Akatsuki members entered their carriage that would take them to the Land of Earth.


End file.
